Structural and thermophysical behaviour of barium zinc aluminoborosilicate glasses for potential application in SOFCs

Structure property relationships in two series of BaO-ZnO-La2O3-Al2O3-B2O3-SiO2 glasses have been investigated to assess their suitability for use as sealants in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. Density, mechanical properties, thermal and electrical properties have been investigated as a function of composition. Raman and Fourier transfer infra-red spectroscopies were undertaken to obtain insights into the glass structure. The mechanical properties are generally relatively high but the thermal expansion coefficients are lower than ideal for SOFC sealants. Of the glasses studied 9.74BaO-6.39ZnO-15.84La2O3-5.04Al2O3-15.63B2O3-47.37SiO2 (mol%) has the most promising properties for SOFC sealing applications.